Production of Bioelectricity at Commercial

Scale for Sustainable

Development
M RIZWAN
Roll No 2
PhD Botany
University of Sargodha

CONTENTS
Bioenergy production technologies
Research, development, demonstration
and deployment
Institutional and technical capacity
development
Conclusions

Improving energy security and mitigating climate

changes are among the most important bioenergy
drivers in most countries. Therefore, the use of
bioenergy systems is not a feature of only developing
countries.
Among developed countries, Sweden and Finland are
the two most remarkable examples of the modern
bioenergy paradigm. Both countries have high energy
consumption ratios and, most notably, are located in
cold-temperate regions, with low levels of sunlight and
thus low photosynthetic production. However, they have
managed to sustainably produce significant quantities
of bioenergy, achieving about 20% of their total energy
requirements from biomass

Based on this point of view the production and use of bioethanol

and biopower from sugarcane offers a real potential to start
building a new energy reality, more sustainable, and which will
make this agroindustry the lever for desirable social and
economic transformations. The Brazilian experience in this field
was accumulated over many decades. Therefore, Brazil can
and must be a benchmark for other countries with similar
conditions. They could undertake efficient bioenergy programs,
applying the Brazilian example to their characteristics,
potential, and markets.
The production of bioethanol from sugarcane, associated with
the production of bioelectricity, food and biomaterials, presents
attractive returns and constitutes the best alternative to use
labor, land, water and sunlight in the production of biofuels.

BIOENERGY PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES

GENERAL ORGANISATION OF
TECHNOLOGIES

Fuel wood
Charcoal
Agricultural waste
Wood pellets
Biogas
Bioethanol (equivalent of
gasoline)
Biodiesel (equivalent of

Examples of Charcoal Fuel Technologies and Use

Example of Agricultural Waste for Cooking

Litter

Drying

Heapin
g

Cookin
g

Examples of Wood Pellet Processing

Example of Biogas Production

Agro/Bioenergy Production Synergies

(FROM: biogas.ifas.ufl.edu)

Electricity Production
from Biogas

(FROM: http://www.google.co.zm/imgres?imgurl
=)

Biogas Market

Biogas cookstove

Biogas lamp

Biogas truck

Biogas generator
(Alibaba)

Biogas fridge
Biogas car
(oneighturbo.com)

BIOGAS
(One Stop
Gas)

Biogas train
(www.metaefficient.com)

Biogas bus
(Sweden)

Biogas motorbike
13
(www.inforse.org)

Examples of Bioethanol
Feedstocks

Grass and
Wood

ITEM

Bioethanol Feedstock Characteristics (Costs

SWEET
AGAVE
SUGARCANE
CASSAVA
are
for
Zambia)
SORGHUM
Americana

Feedstock unit cost

Yield, (Metric Tons/Ha)
Yield, (Litres/Metric Ton),
fresh roots.
Yield, (Litres/Ha/Harvest)
Water Requirement,
(mm/crop)
Fertiliser Requirement,
(Kg/Ha)

300 basal &

250 kg urea

Gestation Period,
(months)

0.381
110

0.384
20 - 100

0.15 0.47
12 - 40

0.512
80

80

45

170

125

8,800

900 4,500

2,000 - 6,000

3,600 - 12,000

1500 - 2500

450 to 700
N 75-150
P 30-60,
K 60-120.

400 - 750
NPK N20:P10:K10, 9 (50
kg) bags
(if necessary)

500
150 350 Kg
Urea
(if necessary)

Remarks

0.15 to 0.29
60 to 80
110
4,800 10,000
600

5-6
12 - 14

4 4.3

Rotation Crops

Examples of Immediate
Revenue Diversification

SUGAR BEET

Food, Feed,
Fiber,
Biogas,
Electricity,
Fertilizer

Can be
stored as

12 - 16
Maize, sorghum,
vegetables, legumes,
rubber, oil palm, tropical
sugarbeet (Gokhale, 2010).

Food, Feed,
Fiber, Biogas, Food, Feeds, Fiber, Biogas,
Electricity,
Starch, Electricity,
Fertilizer
Harvested
and
processed s
within a

10,000 15,000 plants per

hectare, 80cm 100cm
spacing and rows. Can be

60 - 72

Food, Feed,
Fiber, Biogas,
Electricity,
Fertilizer
Extensive
experience in
Mexico, but

Corn, sorghum,
vegetables,
cassava
(Gokhale, 2010)
Biogas,
Electricity

Must process

Bioethanol, bioelectricity and

fertiliser

(FROM:

Modular Biorefineries and their Importance

Can be commissioned within 5 - 8 months.

No need for large start-up capital.
Can process multiple feedstocks.
Minimum 500,000 L/year (1,670 L/day) bioethanol.
Minimum 360,000 L/year (1,000 L/day) biodiesel.

E.g. Mansego Modular Bioethanol Refinery

Fermentation module

Distillation module

Dehydration module
Liquefaction module
17

Bioethanol Market

Flexi fuel generator

Bioethanol cookstove

Bioethanol fridge
Flexi fuel car

Eg. BIOETHANOL

A One-Stop Fuel
Flexi fuel plane
Bioethanol lantern

Bioethanol truck

Bioethanol bus

18 motorbike
Flexi fuel

Examples of Biodiesel
Feedstocks

Animal Fat,
Waste
Cooking Oil,
Algae and
Wood

Biodiesel Feedstock Characteristics (Costs

are for Zambia)

SOY

PALM

JATROPHA

MORINGA

CASTOR

SUN
FLOWER

Feedstock unit cost,

US$/Litre
Yield, (Metric Tons /Ha)
Yield, (Litres/Metric Ton)
Yield, (Litres/Ha)

0.429
3.5
196
686

0.459
6.0
300
1,800

0.290
3.0
400
1,200

0.562
1.0
489
489

0.698
2.0
398
796

Water Requirement, mm

450 - 700

0.426
15.8
230
4,803
3 5mm per day
during hot-dry
season

500 - 600

250 3000

500-600

600 -1000

ITEM

Fertilizers Requirement,
(Per Ha)
Gestation Period, (months)
Examples of Immediate
Revenue Diversification

Remarks

250 Basal,
100 Urea

N170-230, P70-90,
K220-310 per Year

4.5 to 5

24 30

Food,
Electricity,
Food, Feed Fodder,
Building,
Furniture

Currently
experienci When efficient, ONE
ng
high worker can harvest

2.5 t
Manure

Appropriate
amount of
N40,P40, 200 Basal,
manure, when
K20
150 Urea.
and if
necessary
12 - 24
4-6
4.2 to 4.5
Food,
Feed,
Biogas,
Fertilizer, Food, Feed,
Electricity,
Biogas
Biogas
Fertilizer, Etc

24 - 36
Feed,
Biogas,
Electricity,
Fertilizer
There
is
presently no
Cook
Book
to
Among
give definite
worlds

A
very
important
the oil
in
most high-tech

Biodiesel Processing

Biomass for Electricity Generation in Biodiesel

Processing

(SOURCE: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_

Electricity Generation from

Biomass

(SOURCE: http://www.mpoweruk.com/biofuels.htm)

RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, DEMONSTRATION AND

DEPLOYMENT

24

Bioenergy Value Chain

1.
PRELIMINARY
ACTIVITIES

2.
PRODUCTION
INFRASTRUCTURE

3.
FEEDSTOCK
PRODUCTION and
TRADE

4.
BIOFUELS
PROCESSING

5.
BIOFUELS TECHNICAL SERVICE
ACTIVITIES

Business Plans
Sourcing funds
Land acquisitions /
lease contracts
Impact assessments
Obtaining permits
and licences
Securing markets
of
Setting-up
bioenergy industry
governance
Technology
assessments
Etc

Drilling boreholes
Building dams and
canals
Assessing soils
access
Building
roads and bridges
Building houses and
offices
Building processing
plants
Etc,.

Land clearance
Land preparations
Nurseries
Plantation
development
Plantation
management
Weed and pest
control
Feedstock
harvesting
Feedstock trading
Etc.

peeling,
Cassava
chipping
and
drying
Seed cleaning and
packaging
Oil extraction
Molasses
production
and
Processing
refining of biofuels
Byproducts
production.

Biofuels transportation
Byproduct transportation
Biofuels blending
Biofuels transportation
Engine conversion
Importation of biofuels compliant
vehicles and appliances
Manufacturing of inputs and processing
plants for the biofuels value chain
Biofuels R&D
Training in biofuels industry
Biofuels quality control assessments
Biofuels plant repair
Development of appropriate cookstoves
Etc.

OTHER
SERVICES

Education
Health
Recreation
Etc

Activities include identifying and addressing the challenges for

sustainable bioenergy production through good industry
governance,
25
field trials, applied research, capacity building, modeling and analysis.

Feedstock for Wood, Charcoal

and
Pellets
EXAMPLES OF RESEARCH AREAS
Fast-growing and water-efficient
forest plants
Sustainable wood harvest
Efficient/cost-effective forest
management
Incorruptible forestry governance
and licensing

Feedstock Supply
Feedstock constitutes about 70% of final
bioenergy product.
Providing biomass for conversion into
biofuels represents an economic opportunity
for communities across Africa.
This requires developing the technologies
and systems needed to sustainably and
economically deliver a broad range of
biomass in formats that enable efficient use

CONCLUSIONS

28

 Develping countries have resources

(material and human), but lacks
productive action.
Available technologies can be used to
establish a vibrant bioenergy industry in
these countries.
Bioenergy is (probably) the only industry
that can benefit all on sustainable basis.
Economic empowerment from bioenergy
industry, if well organised, can reduce
conflicts and save the environment.
29

Thank you for your attention